Our editors are ever-diligent in their search for skincare, makeup, and hair care that will revolutionize their routines—and yours. After testing thousands of new products and tools, we're pleased to announce that this year's offerings have exceeded expectations. From a splurge-worthy hairbrush that creates legit goddess waves to a cheap-but-chic face serum that will leave you glowing all year long, there's something for every desire, budget, and taste in our picks. Here, the beauty game-changers that will make you text your friends: "You guys have got to try this."
Kudos to this drugstore line for making clean, cruelty-free, plant-based hair products that lather nicely and smell great (care of a calming blend of menthol and white musk)—at prices accessible for all.
For cool brunettes, brassiness can appear just weeks after a dye job, making strands look dull. Matrix’s green-tinted formula (which comes as both a shampoo and conditioner) neutralizes these red undertones to keep color fresh.
If heat, mistreatment, and chemical processes have left your hair looking lackluster, the argan oil and amino acids in this spray will nourish it and add back a healthy sheen
Made especially for curl types ranging from 3B to 4C, this lightweight cream uses a blend of botanical oils and honey to hug hair with hydration.
Apply a couple droppers’ worth to your scalp each night. Hyaluronic acid and panthenol help treat dryness, while calming purslane keeps inflammation and itchiness in check.
For curly hair that needs some extra TLC, this argan-oil-infused mask works overtime to return moisture and health to each strand.
Texturizing products can leave an incriminating white cast on darker strands, but this workable volume spray adds lift and grit without any of the evidence.
This serum is the hair equivalent of no-makeup makeup. Try it as a heat protector on all textures before styling or run through damp strands to improve the texture of air-dried waves. It leaves hair softer and smoother, without adding weight.
If dry shampoo and leave-in products have your scalp feeling itchy and flaky, a pump or two of this massaged into the roots will alleviate discomfort and reduce oiliness.
Stale breath? Pop a Tic Tac. Same idea here: A few spritzes of this minty, absorbent spray will renew a greasy scalp and refresh limp strands so you can push wash day (again).
A few drops of this oil instantly calms and rehydrates dry, course tresses. The relaxing scent puts minds at ease, too.
This long-lasting at-home cream color is made without ammonia or parabens and infused with hemp seed oil to keep strands supple and vibrant. Botanicals like cranberry and sesame oil in its conditioning gloss maintain hair health between touch-ups.
Full of vitamin C, papaya, and lemon, this daily serum offers instant skin hydration and helps even out skin tone in the long term.
This fast-absorbing mineral-based serum sunblock is loaded with soothing prickly pear and invisible zinc oxide to ensure all skin tones are covered.
Complexion makeup works best on a smooth canvas, and this golden illuminating formula creates that. It has anti-aging benefits too: Papaya enzymes and black-tea ferment help fight wrinkles and diminish pores.
With restorative ingredients like French roses and tri-ceramides, this concentrated serum wards off environmental damage and repairs even the most disrupted skin barrier.
Consider this micellar water 2.0. Sure, it cleanses as promised, but it’s also packed with ceramides, vitamin E, and plant oils, leaving skin refreshed and nourished.
Our skin repairs itself best while we sleep, and this formula hustles the process along by imbuing the complexion with a plumping, hydrating blend of hyaluronic acid, mango butter, and squalene.
This updated classic holds scores of hardworking ingredients, like yeast extract and a peptide, that help restore baby-like bounce and smoothness to your skin while you snooze.
For chronic dark-circle sufferers, this serum is pumped with vitamin C to brighten your skin gently but effectively—minus the greasy, heavy aftereffects typical of many eye creams.
The original Olay Regenerist was one of the first anti-aging lines in drugstores to offer line-smoothing peptide technology. This version ups the concentration of said peptides and pairs them with vitamins B3 and B5 to improve moisture levels and texture. Translation: better skin.
This mineral sunscreen blends seamlessly and creates a great canvas for makeup. No white casts, no dry feeling, and no UV damage.
Fresh’s lip hydrators have long been staples in editors’ purses; their newest flavor ups the ante with a zingy citrus bite and jammy tint.
Post-acne dark spots can be stubborn, but they’re not unbeatable. This retinol formula fades the off-color evidence of blemishes without zapping your skin’s moisture.
Got unwieldy eyebrows with a life of their own? This brow gel—with its powerful hold and innovative brush design—will whip them into shape.
The classic brand’s healthy new offering is as spotless as it gets: It’s 16-free, which means the formula doesn’t include 16 potentially toxic ingredients popular in the nail-care world.
The Ray of Light
Packed with silky meadowfoam oil, this weightless, buildable bronzing powder adds a beach-day radiance to any skin tone—always creamy, never crusty.
The Ray of LightPacked with silky meadowfoam oil, this weightless, buildable bronzing powder adds a beach-day radiance to any skin tone—always creamy, never crusty.ow Moisturizing Baked Bronzer, $34
The Bad-Girl Gloss
Lip gloss hits differently when you know it’s Rihanna’s go-to. This rich brown gloss offers enough moisture to keep dryness at bay and adds sparkle to take you from desk to date.
The Wing Slayer
This sleek packaging does more than just look pretty; the golden gripper helps control a shaky hand. Glide the tiny tip across your lid and extend it slightly for a sharp, waterproof cat eye that won’t fade.
The Wing SlayerThis sleek packaging does more than just look pretty; the golden gripper helps control a shaky hand. Glide the tiny tip across your lid and extend it slightly for a sharp, waterproof cat eye that won’t fade.atte Signature Liquid Dip Eyeliner, $9
If you don’t play around when it comes to pigments, we’re betting you’ll fall for these glorious eye shadows with rich cream-to-powder textures. Smudge away.
The Brow Styler
This pencil pays homage to stunningly styled baby hair, a textured-hair staple. Sweep the microfine tip across sparse sections to achieve the fullness and definition you desire.
The Believable Flush
Available in a spectrum of sunny shades, this water-infused blush warms up skin beautifully when worn on the apples of your cheeks, eyelids, or temples.
The Skin Perfector
The hydrating texture of this versatile, medium-coverage fluid makes skin look like...skin, only better. Its soft-focus finish acts like a real-life Zoom filter.
This mascara stands out as one of the shiniest and blackest formulas out there. Plus, it delivers on its curling and lengthening promise, and the wavy bristle brush has a knack for keeping lashes clump-free and defined.
This lightweight conditioner will be revolutionary for mascara devotees or faux-lash users. It contains botanicals and oils that strengthen lashes and improve flexibility to reduce breakage.
The original version of this story listed Essie's Let It Ripple Nail Polish in Get On Board, but that shade has since been discontinued. For a blue equally as vibrant, though, check out Butler Please: For anyone seeking an immediate mood-booster, this aquatic polish is the perfect shade to transition from summer to fall. You can't feel blue when you have this nail color on.
This body butter melts and absorbs into skin instantly upon application and—with its high dose of healing rosehip oil and nourishing shea, coconut, and mango butters—leaves skin feeling supple and baby soft.
It would be entirely fair to add this to your cart strictly for its scent—addictive and reminiscent of that imaginary year you spent in Tahiti—but its tropical ingredients are also nurturing. Banana peel extract and acai protect against free-radical damage and coconut extract imbues moisture.
This body scrub is appealing to all the senses: It looks great in your shower, feels great on your skin (with just the right amount of fine-grain bamboo charcoal in a cooling gel that spreads smoothly), and smells divine (we're partial to Eucalyptus).
This innovative spray functions as a suit of armor for your skin. Hyaluronic acid hydrates while antioxidant watermelon extract, licorice root, and blue microalgae shield your skin from the environmental aggressors that speed up the aging process.
For those wondering about aluminum-free deodorant, “But does it work?,” in this case, yes. An antimicrobial blend of dead sea salts and motion-activated fragrances eliminates and prevents odor, so you never have to sniff-check in public again.
Consider this a new office mainstay. The oversized bottle of cheery, plant-based sanitizer keeps our bodies and spirits in good health.
And this powder to the bath for an extra bit of luxury. Mineral ingredients detox and pacify inflamed skin, while calming scents tend to the mind. Because everyone needs some extra T.L.C. these days.
Restore hands suffering from intense washing and sanitizing to their natural hydration and softness with the help of vitamin E.
With Dyson technology, heat straightening can now be guilt free: The Corrale’s styling plates create lasting styles while minimizing damage.
This boar-bristle brush with the chic wooden handle can help achieve gorgeously coiffed hair—with a scalp massage thrown in.
Say goodbye to scorched hair and hello to effortless waves: This smart curling iron remembers your preferences and picks a heat setting specific to your hair type and texture, like having a stylist in your home.
The streamlined design this smart toothbrush reaches every awkward corner of your mouth, and the tech offerings include brushing pressure trackers and helpful reminders. Bottom line: It’ll keep teeth and gums healthy at home if you can't make it to the dentist just yet.
This adorable handheld device uses microcurrents to lift and tone the muscles in your face—kind of like crunches, but for your cheekbones.
You’ve heard of celebrity face icing—a trick to depuff tired features almost instantly. Consider these the just-as-effective-yet-much-more-pleasant tools to get you there. Simply store them in your fridge and apply as needed for quick relief from allergies or a late night.
Toss out environmentally unfriendly cotton pads and make way for these reusable and washable ones. Each wipe can be used 1,000 times.
This device removes the fine layer of hair that covers everyone's face so that makeup glides on beautifully and skin looks radiant and smooth.
Photography by Jeff Westbrook. Design by Hanna Varady and Susanna Hayward.
A version of this story appears in the Fall 2020 issue of Marie Claire.